"Prayer is a demand of the soul. God did not make us beggars; He created us in His image.…A beggar who goes to a rich home and asks for alms receives a beggar's share; but the son can have anything he asks from his wealthy father...."Therefore we should not behave like beggars. Divine ones such as Christ, Krishna and Buddha did not lie when they said we are made in the image of God." — Paramahansa Yogananda

The ancient scientist sages of India discovered how to experience an overwhelming communion of joy with a loving God. Paramahansa Yogananda teaches us how we can have this same direct experience of the Divine, "I prefer the word 'demand' to 'prayer,' because the former is devoid of the primitive and medieval conception of a kingly tyrant God whom we, as beggars, have to supplicate and flatter. There is a great deal of beggary and ignorance in ordinary prayer...Few know how to pray and touch God with their prayers."

"You have a divine right inherited from God to demand from Him; and He will respond to you because you are His own. If you constantly call to Him, He cannot escape the net of your devotion. If you pray until the ether churns with the light of your prayer, then you will find God."

How Can My Prayers Help Others?Sri Daya MataTime: 4:26 minutes

In these challenging times, there is much we can do through the power of prayer — not only for ourselves but to serve our families, our friends, our neighbors, and the world. You can learn the effective prayer techniques of yoga through the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons and develop your own personal relationship with God.